Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 / Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat...

Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 / Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23 | Sergei Rachmaninov | this recording has spoiled me

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Rachmaninoff: Conc...

	Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 / Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23 Sergei Rachmaninov Philips, 1995 average customer review:based on 71 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Absolutely riveting performance of two famous pieces!

This live recording by Argerich of Tchaikovsky's 1st and Rachmaninoff's 3rd is breathtaking! I own at least 10 versions of Tchaikovsky 1st and 4 versions of Rachmaninoff 3. This performance is one of the best.

Argerich plays the Tchaikovsky 1st with such passion and fire; her speeds are on the fast side, yet she does all the running passages with such virtuousity and excitement! The slower 2nd movement is played with much feeling, and Argerich builds up to a tremendous climax during the end of the 3rd movement. The listener is just amazed and awestruck after hearing this performance! This is one of the most exciting live versions of Tchaikovsky 1. I prefer it over Horowitz due to the better sound quality; Argerich's performance is on par with that of Horowitz.

Kirill Kondrashin (Tchaikovsky) and Richard Chailly (Rachmaninoff) can barely keep up with Argerich and it makes for a fascinating listen -- the interplay between artist and the conductor on both pieces.

The Rach 3 does not disappoint either. Argerich also does a great job of building up to a tremendous climax at the end of the 1st movement. The slower passages are very moving and are played with a great sense of tone and finesse.

Actually, I'm more a fan of the Tchaikovsky than the Rachmaninoff 3 but I really enjoyed her re-endition of the Rachmaninoff 3.

All the versions of Tchaikovsky done by Argerich are oustanding (the studio version with Dutoit, and the other 1994 live version with Abbado) and are highly recommended.

Hold your breath while you listen to this recording. It is that good!

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this recording has spoiled me

Whenever I listen to another recording of Rachmaninoff's concerto (and trust me, I've got plenty - Horowitz, about 3 copies of Ashkenazy...), I always wonder why the 3rd movement is so slow. It's because I've listened to my favorite of them all, this recording, so many times that it's spoiled me. Only Rachmaninoff himself plays the piece faster, and he tends to miss notes (the sound quality is also terrible).

The first movement's not the best I've ever heard (Horowitz's rendition is the best so far), but the 2nd and 3rd movements really shine. The Tchaikovsky is also very good. However, Argerich does play very fast (although her 3rd movement is slower than Rachmaninoff's own recording), so she does miss notes (especially in the 1st movement of the Tchaikovsky). Nonetheless, this is the best recording overall of the Rachmaninoff, and one of the best of the Tchaikovsky.

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Music does not get any better

There is no piece of music that can drive me as wild as Rach's 3rd concerto. I can barely contain myself while listening to it -- just thinking of it is giving me goosebumps right now. For me, this recording is the ultimate performance. I don't even care that the sound quality is sometimes muddy, because Argerich's fiery passion more than compensates. Her technique, musicality, control, everything, it's just perfect. This CD is absolutely a must own. Do NOT hesitate to buy it.

Great, but not the greatest

I'm sorry to contradict David Hurwitz, but Argerich's Rach 3 is NOT "the fastest and most physically exciting you will ever hear": this honour goes to Hurwitz's near-namesake Vladimir Horowitz in his 1941 live version with Sir John Barbirolli. In this wild rendition, Horowitz plays the concerto faster than anybody before or since, Rachmaninov and Argerich included. In fact, here Horowitz is faster than Argerich in all of the most virtuosic passages, and much faster in the end climax. Argerich - or anyone else, for that matter - simply can't equal Horowitz's white heat, whiplash kind of technical brilliance and command, his unique power, speed and tonal control.

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Must Have!

Holy cow! I am shell shocked. Who cares if she missed a note or two? This is a stirring powerful performance. I wasn't too thrilled about the sound quality of the Rach 3, considering it was a live recording, it was *ok* I suppose.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, page 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

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